This story is for people of a certain age. If you don’t make a connection with the title, it won’t mean much to you.

As a teenager growing up in the 1950s I can clearly remember sitting in front of our second-hand black and white TV with my mom and brother watching the early sit-com I Love Lucy starring Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. It was right up there with Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

I thought I’d try and re-live some of my Lucy moments by visiting the Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Museum in nearby Jamestown, N.Y. Jamestown is about a 90-minute drive from the Niagara border at Buffalo.

First, here’s a bit about the show. Lucy portrays Lucy Ricardo, the wacky wife of Cuban bandleader Desi Arnaz, living in New York City. They were in real life actually husband and wife. In the show Ricky was trying to make it big in show business and Lucy was always trying to help, much to his chagrin. The results are hilarious. Their best friends are Fred and Ethel Mertz who live in the same building. The first I Love Lucy show appeared on television in June 1951 and the final episode April 1960.

The Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz Museum is located in downtown Jamestown at 2 West 3rd St. (www.lucy-desi.com) and when I first went through the doors of the shrine to this comedic couple my memories began to flow.

My wife Ellen, who kind of remembers the show (she’s a bit younger than me), was like myself amazed at the size of the museum which consists of two buildings. One building contains memorabilia of the private and screen lives of Lucy and Desi and another is the Desilu Studios which displayed exact re-creations of the I Love Lucy television studio sets. We saw sets of the Ricardos’ New York City apartment living room and kitchen. Some of these ’50s chairs and table are taking on a second life today disguised as expensive posh furniture. Also featured is a life-sized mural of the original studio audience. Above the Desilo Studios is a recreation of the Tropicana Club, which was where Desi performed in the TV show. Today, the room is where private events are held.

For an additional fee of $7 you can pick up an audio tour (it’s like an old-style telephone receiver) and as you make your way through the museum you can learn more about various artifacts, gowns, scripts, awards, etc. The audio is narrated by Lucy and Desi’s daughter Lucy Arnaz.

This year this annual festival takes place Aug. 4 to 7. The final lineup for the festival will be announced this April. Last year’s headliner was Jerry Seinfeld. People who performed in the past are Lewis Black, Ellen DeGeneres, Joan Rivers, Bob Newhart, Jay Leno and more. The festival will feature approximately 50 events. Tickets go fast for this event.

Where to eat

After the visit we stepped inside The Pub Restaurant (209 North Main St.) a block away. A few locals told us it was a good place to eat. Good choice. If you’re from Niagara you might remember the Diana Sweets Diner in St. Catharines. The Pub Restaurant, which has been around since 1965, has the same style of old high-back wooden booths and the atmosphere is very similar. We could see why it is a favourite local eating place, but also learned it is a favourite meeting place.